Play Library » playing

Children’s Play Becoming Restricted

Lei — Wed, 06 Sep 2006 13:59:17 +0000

It’s the same old refrain – Kids aren’t allowed to be kids anymore. Karen Uhlenhuth of The Kansas City Star has more on the crisis of children’s play.

Playing up playtime: It’s kids’ learning gift

These are hard times for child’s play:

Testing pressures have squeezed much of the play out of kindergarten, according to many activists and researchers. And those pressures are even trickling down to preschools.

Parents worried about their children’s safety — and maybe hankering for some time to themselves — keep them indoors, often tethered to a television, a computer or a video game.

And children’s toys — and their fantasy lives — run heavily toward licensed characters derived from videos and television programs created in someone else’s imagination.

All of which is to say: Whatever happened to making mud pies?

I don’t know about mud pies but my son’s digging around in our garden right now having a jolly time. Guess I’m doing something right.

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Playground at Kew Gardens, London

Lei — Thu, 22 Jun 2006 13:23:10 +0000

Here are some pictures from the fantastic Climbers and Creepers playground at the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. I’d like to showcase playgrounds around the world. Won’t you share a few pics of your neighborhood playground or a special one you visited? (No identifying details needed if you’d prefer to keep your location secret!)

Click for larger images.

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Games for Health

Lei — Tue, 18 Apr 2006 16:51:35 +0000

Parents know that games and play are critical for kids. They learn all sorts of things while playing from concrete skills such gamesmanship and rules to a general appreciation of how to relax and have fun.

Game technologies have also been useful in healthcare. When you see all the great ways games are being put to use in managing health conditions such as diabetes, maybe you won’t think all the hours your kids spend playing could be put to better use. In fact, maybe parents should be playing too (I know my husband is) and training their brain.

If you’re interested in learning more, Games for Health Day is being held on May 9, 2006 in Los Angeles, California.

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